Water, Adrianus Pieter van de (1896-1951)

Adrianus Pieter van de Water (1896-1951), a Mennonite minister, serving the congregations of Leermens-Loppersum 1925-27 (1927-35 pastor of the Dutch Protestant Union at Baarn and active with the International School of Philosophy at Amersfoort), Oldeboorn 1935-39, Zwolle 1939-42, Apeldoorn 1942-45, Hallum 1945-48, and St. Anna-Parochie 1948-50, was appointed in June 1950 by the trustees of the Algemeene Doopsgezinde Sociëteit (ADS) as a minister at large among the Dutch Mennonites, particularly to build up the work of "special needs" (see Stichting voor Bijzondere Noden). He could devote his great intelligence and organizational ability to this work for only one year, dying on 7 June 1951. Van de Water also was a promoter of the children's home Oud Wulven at Houten (since 1958 at Schoorl), was active in the care of Jewish refugees from Germany in the Nazi period shortly before World War II and of the displaced persons from Eastern Europe after the war. He published two papers in Doopsgezind Jaarboekje: "Het Protestantsch - Joodsche Vluchtelingenwerk" (1940) and "Moeilijkheden en mogelijkheden voor de financien in onze Broederschap" (1950). His address given at the fifth Mennonite World Conference is found in the Proceedings of this conference (Akron, 1950).